What's Great for a Snack and Fits on Your Back?

[Terah]

17 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

For the sake of starting quickly I'm fasting for breakfast and lunch today and only drinking water until dinner. 

That's a great way to get back in touch with your body and experience real hunger again. Also, I have found that drinking coffee when the hunger is starting to feel 'too much' really helps. I've also read that coffee enhances the benefits of fasting (although not all 'experts' agree on that) 

 

Good luck, you've got this! 

[DrFeelgood]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 12:08 PM, Sylvaa said:

Is moving an option? https://www.nhl.com/news/hejduks-house-for-sale-includes-indoor-ice-rink/c-298547862 ... I don't think it has a pool, but I bet it has room to put on in!

As long as someone else is paying the mortgage I can live just about anywhere.   My rink wouldn't have to be ice, though.  Inline skates are just fine with me.

 

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 6:23 PM, Sloth the Enduring said:

Have you ever tried a TRX-type trainer? It’s still kind of body weightish, but it takes up very little space.

I think my issue with bodyweight exercise is that I never really know what I'm doing.  When I bench press 225, I know that's 225.  When I do 100 pushups I don't know what's actually going on.  Plus it bores me to tears.  I want the cold hard objectivity of iron.

 

On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 3:53 AM, Terah said:

That's a great way to get back in touch with your body and experience real hunger again. Also, I have found that drinking coffee when the hunger is starting to feel 'too much' really helps. I've also read that coffee enhances the benefits of fasting (although not all 'experts' agree on that)

I've never found coffee to help or enhance anything,  but water has been filling that role for me nicely.  I know I've been confusing thirst for hunger (not that I've cared--since I've been mainly eating for sport/spite) so making sure to stay hydrated is helping with satiety.

 

Monday.  The day went pretty well.  I didn't drink any soda and only infrequently craved anything sweet.  I did get hungry around lunch time, so I curtailed my fast and ate 300 kcal of salami and cheese.  That was sufficient.  For dinner MFG made tacos, so I ate my allotment as a giant taco salad (no tortillas of any kind), then I ate a single serving of my remaining chocolate ice cream for dessert--I think I'll continue to do that until it's all gone.  I got a little snacky later in the evening, which led to a handful of almonds and a string cheese.  Before bed I added a hot dog (no bun) with a big pile of melty cheddar cheese.

 

Bedtime itself was a bit stupid, but that was my own fault.  My new video card arrived yesterday so I spent the evening upgrading my PC (5 minutes) and rearranging my computer desk (90 minutes).  When everything was put back together I fired up Rocket League and played a handful of games.  It looks so beautiful!  Now I need a new monitor to really take advantage of my video card's capabilities, but that can wait until student loans are done.  Anyway after those games I tucked the kids in and did the dishes, then I played for a little while longer.  I was all set to head to bed before midnight, but MFG was surfing web videos on the couch so I snuggled there with her for another hour.  Gotta get that bedtime back in line!  Otherwise things are on track and I'm feeling pretty decent about it all.

 

Onward!

[DrFeelgood]

Tuesday.  Another good day back on the plan.  Day 2 without soda wasn't bad at all (it seems I was pretty successful at managing my caffeine reduction) and my water intake is being quite reasonable.  Food was good, too.  I had leftover taco salad for lunch and a few cashews for a snack, then MFG made lemon-thyme chicken thighs on a bed of fresh spinach with a delicious cream sauce full of shallots and a side of steamed green beans.  I ate a double portion before enjoying my single serving of chocolate ice cream.  I added a couple of string cheese snacks later in the evening.  Everything was very compliant, and I'm already feeling much better about my eating.  I'm especially relieved that so far I seem to be doing fine without counting calories.

 

Bedtime was better.  We watched Black Panther (decent film, but not my favorite) for family movie night, then I played my customary Rocket League matches.  I managed to move up a division before 11:00 pm, so that's when I powered down and went upstairs for bedtime rituals and a decent night's sleep.  This morning was better for it, too.

 

Generally I feel like I'm evening out again, which is nice.  The only extreme thing about what I'm currently doing is zero allowance for soda of any kind.  Food is succeeding at moderation so far, water is being effective without going overboard, and exercise is content to remain on hold for now.  I can feel the brain fog lifting and my energy levels returning.  Just gotta keep at it.

[Terah]

Well done on turing things around! 

[DrFeelgood]

17 hours ago, Terah said:

Well done on turing things around! 

Thanks!  I'm not sure things are entirely turned around, but I'm feeling confident and in-control for the first time in a while.

 

Wednesday.  Solidly in the groove.  I fasted until lunch, then I ate my leftover lemon-thyme chicken with a big pile of green beans.  My work day was filled with mandatory annual training, and while returning from the afternoon session I realized that I'd developed a habit of stopping at the store for a snack and a soda after these things.  I had no desire to do that apart from the habit, so I just drove on by.  Dinner in the evening was MFG's turkey 'chili' with a side of sautéed zucchini.  I had some cashews and cheese for a snack, and I also ate my serving of ice cream.  Easy peasy day.

 

The evening was dead simple.  After dinner I took the older kids to youth group, then I did some training in Rocket League and played 15 games--Season 7 rewards were announced and I'm trying to get to the next rank before the season ends so I can earn those items.  After that I did some home computing and watched a few videos with MFG before heading up for a shower and bedtime at around 11 pm.

 

Feeling fine and working smoothly, that's how I do.

[DrFeelgood]

Thursday.  Pretty good day, even with a few mild concessions.  I fasted until lunch, but then I decided lunch should be early,  so at 10:30 I ate my leftover turkey 'chili' with cheese and powered through the rest of the workday.  Dinner at home was a little early, too, since I was taking 3 of the Minions to see a late matinee showing of Infinity War (just, Wow!) at the theater by 5:30.  The kids and I ate a nice dinner of cottage pie (I omitted the tater tots) then I had a small bowl of ice cream.  Once at the theater I split a box of Red Vines among the kids, but Butch decided he didn't want any, so I ate his serving to keep from over-sugaring Bubbles and Boomer.  Once home I added a string cheese and a few cashews to round out the day.

 

I didn't do much else for the day.  I'm still drinking plenty of water and haven't felt motivated to do any kind of deliberate exercise.  My belt notches are getting more comfortable, although today is a bit tighter which I'm attributing to the Red Vines.  I played some Rocket League doubles on PS4 with my brother last night, which was fun.  Afterward I did a 5-game session on my PC and won every game to gain a full rank (Plat II) before calling it and heading to bed.  Even so I streamed an episode of The Office before falling asleep.  So a little bit of sugar and starch plus a slightly later bedtime were my concessions for the day.  This morning is suggesting that I probably don't want to do that again. 

[Shello]

21 minutes ago, DrFeelgood said:

The kids and I ate a nice dinner of cottage pie (I omitted the tater tots)

[DrFeelgood]

Just now, LadyShello said:

 

I know, right!  If only my red-vines discipline was as staunch as my tater-tot discipline.

[Shello]

Just now, DrFeelgood said:

 

I know, right!  If only my red-vines discipline was as staunch as my tater-tot discipline.

if there isn't enough discipline to go around I would take the tater tots over red vines any day.  

[DrFeelgood]

1 minute ago, LadyShello said:

if there isn't enough discipline to go around I would take the tater tots over red vines any day.  

 

Most days I'd agree, but Red Vines are my movie candy and I think the local cinemaplex would've frowned on me brown-bagging a slew of tater tots. 

[Shello]

Just now, DrFeelgood said:

 

Most days I'd agree, but Red Vines are my movie candy and I think the local cinemaplex would've frowned on me brown-bagging a slew of tater tots. 

I don't know.  I've brown bagged pizza to a theater before.  Bringing tots is actually a pretty good idea.  

[DrFeelgood]

1 minute ago, LadyShello said:

I don't know.  I've brown bagged pizza to a theater before.  Bringing tots is actually a pretty good idea.  

 

This particular location is a bit stickler about their rules.  Back in the day my favorite plex in Albuquerque allowed outside food, so we'd go get in line for a premiere then send a buddy out for McDonald's.  You haven't lived until you've eaten a Double Quarter-Pounder meal (super-sized, 'cause hell yeah!) while watching Jurassic Park III.

[Shello]

1 minute ago, DrFeelgood said:

 

This particular location is a bit stickler about their rules.  Back in the day my favorite plex in Albuquerque allowed outside food, so we'd go get in line for a premiere then send a buddy out for McDonald's.  You haven't lived until you've eaten a Double Quarter-Pounder meal (super-sized, 'cause hell yeah!) while watching Jurassic Park III.

I'll add that to my bucket list.  I have a special 'movie purse' so I can bring in my brown bagged items.  I never let a theater employee see what I'm bringing.  The only giveaways are when we open cans of pop.   

[deftona]

Tater tots on a cottage pie? Bloody hell, is nothing sacred. 

[DrFeelgood]

1 minute ago, deftona said:

Tater tots on a cottage pie? Bloody hell, is nothing sacred. 

 

In Oklahoma?  Just be glad we used actual mince and didn't throw a bunch of peppers in with it. 

 

Plus it's a freezer meal, and mash just doesn't come back from that.

[deftona]

Just now, DrFeelgood said:

Plus it's a freezer meal, and mash just doesn't come back from that.

 

Oh definitely not. I always freeze the mince bit and remake the mash when I am having it again. 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

3 hours ago, deftona said:

Tater tots on a cottage pie? Bloody hell, is nothing sacred. 

Quiet you, or I'll put another ice cube in my tea and force you to watch.

[deftona]

31 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Quiet you, or I'll put another ice cube in my tea and force you to watch.

 

Then I will barbecue my beef by farting on it and burying it like I told you about before. 

[DrFeelgood]

18 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Quiet you, or I'll put another ice cube in my tea and force you to watch.

You could also load it up with sugar like they do in the south.

 

 

17 hours ago, deftona said:

Then I will barbecue my beef by farting on it and burying it like I told you about before. 

 

 

Friday.  Not the best in terms of my goals.  I stayed up far too late, snacked too heavily while gaming, and finished the day by eating all of the remaining ice cream.  To be fair, all of what was left was still less than I would've previously eaten as a single bowl-full, but I'm still disappointed in my lack of discipline.

 

I'm trying hard to keep today on the rails, but this morning all I want to do is go get a Coca Cola before I start my chores and errands.  I'm slamming water instead, hopefully that will do the trick.

[Terah]

8 minutes ago, DrFeelgood said:

I'm slamming water instead, hopefully that will do the trick.

I like sparkling water with lemon flavor. It has no calories, no artificial sweeteners or other crap. Maybe that can help you too? 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

23 hours ago, deftona said:

 

Then I will barbecue my beef by farting on it and burying it like I told you about before. 

5 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

You could also load it up with sugar like they do in the south.

 

 

 

 

Friday.  Not the best in terms of my goals.  I stayed up far too late, snacked too heavily while gaming, and finished the day by eating all of the remaining ice cream.  To be fair, all of what was left was still less than I would've previously eaten as a single bowl-full, but I'm still disappointed in my lack of discipline.

 

I'm trying hard to keep today on the rails, but this morning all I want to do is go get a Coca Cola before I start my chores and errands.  I'm slamming water instead, hopefully that will do the trick.

I actually drink unsweet iced tea. I also like that we both used a Holy Grail gif to respond to Deffy.

 

 

[DrFeelgood]

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 9:31 AM, Terah said:

I like sparkling water with lemon flavor. It has no calories, no artificial sweeteners or other crap. Maybe that can help you too? 

Plain water got me by on Saturday, but I'm going to ask MFG to put some sparkling water on the grocery list for next time.

 

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 3:00 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I actually drink unsweet iced tea. I also like that we both used a Holy Grail gif to respond to Deffy.

I knew that about your tea (MFG is the same), I just thought it would further annoy Deffy. 

 

Regarding the Holy Grail confluence, I'd cite the cliché adage about great minds, but I'm honestly afraid of insulting you. 

 

Saturday.  Just could not stop being hungry.  I don't even remember what all I ate, I just remember being irritated that I couldn't seem to satisfy my evening appetite no matter how much meat and cheese and nuts I snacked on, and that was after full meals for the day.  I even added some dried fruit to see if a few fast carbs would take the edge off.  No dice.  I stayed up way too late watching TV and finally killed the hunger beast by eating Cheez-its with Jif peanut butter.  Of course that developed some minor heartburn which made sleep even more elusive.

 

The day itself was fairly productive.  I gained another full rank in Rocket League while MFG was running errands in the morning, then I shut the game off and took care of my household chores, with a decent assist from Brick.  We did a wasp patrol of the homestead and knocked down a few early nests, then we mowed the yards and trimmed them up nicely.  While he was finishing the backyard I did a thorough scrubbing of the grill.  All of that activity left me pretty wrecked for the rest of the evening, and I was in and out of consciousness while browsing videos with the Minions until their bedtime.  That also contributed to sleeplessness at my own bedtime.

 

Sunday.  Weird day that started feeling weird and ended weirder.  I tried to eat sensibly and keep my water intake up, but for literally no reason whatsoever my irritability increased all day long.  I had a decent lunch with chicken and avocado, then the rest of my day was comprised of compliant snacking.  Somehow in spite of pounding water all day I still woke up this morning dehydrated.  My body doesn't seem to be appreciating the return to clean eating.  Once home from church I basically parked in my gaming chair and didn't really move from that spot until dinner, then after the kids went to bed I went back to my gaming chair and played for several more hours, finally heading up to bed in the early morning.  Not smart.

 

I did lose a few pounds last week, but I'm not feeling all that swell.  Probably just need to push through the adjustment period and make sure I'm getting plenty of nutrients.

[Terah]

3 hours ago, DrFeelgood said:

I'm not feeling all that swell. 

I hope this fades soon. It can be quite uncomfortable to suddenly go without sugar/junkfood. 

[DrFeelgood]

On 5/21/2018 at 2:17 PM, Terah said:

I hope this fades soon. It can be quite uncomfortable to suddenly go without sugar/junkfood. 

 

Well I did a bit of a refeed, and that improved my mood considerably even if it speed-bumped my adjustment period.  That's okay.

 

Monday.  I paused my improvements for the day to allow for some caffeine to get me through the workday and to add some "junk" carbs for the sake of my waning enthusiasm for "clean" eating.  I had a croissant and some hash browns at breakfast (okay it was a Loaded Croissan'wich meal from Burger King) with a large soda.  That was plenty of food so I skipped lunch, but I needed another soda in the afternoon to keep from falling asleep at my desk.  I made cheeseburger lettuce wraps for dinner, and MFG pan-roasted a huge variety of veggies.  I added some cashews and cheese for snacks in the evening.

 

Bubbles had a couple of friends stay over after their AHG troop meeting, so we all stayed up late watching Captain America: Civil War again for the one friend who hadn't seen it yet.  My afternoon caffeine kicked in late and kept me from being sleepy at bedtime, so I stayed up playing games for a few more hours (enduring a massive losing streak in RL).  Consequently I'm exhausted again today despite my alarm not going off this morning and awarding me a bonus hour of sleep (that I'll have to make up at work now; boo).  Civil coworker got promoted to branch chief, and she brought cookies in this morning.  I've only eaten four (so far) to go along with another soda (for the caffeine).  But that's it for today, everything else should be back on track by lunch.

 

I desperately need to go to bed on time tonight (and probably every night for the next six months).

[DrFeelgood]

Tuesday.  I rode the pause a little longer than planned.  After my soda and cookies in the morning (I stopped at four) I was fine until lunch, which was a leftover cheeseburger patty on the leftover roasted cauliflower (with grape tomatoes and bell pepper, delish!) plus a grilled chicken breast cutlet and salad greens.  I thought that would keep me until dinner, but I wanted some more caffeine in the afternoon on the way back to my office from a site visit, and while at the store I grabbed a cheese danish and a candy bar.  At least the candy bar had almonds.   Dinner was pork chops with grilled zucchini.  I added a string cheese while doing my evening tasks, then I was finally done for the day.

 

I made decent progress on my work project, then after work I took care of a bunch of stuff at home.  I made an appointment to have the windshield replaced on MFG's van--it sustained a crack last November that's recently gotten much worse.  After dinner I did all the dishes then hopped on my computer to pay the monthly bills and organize finances.  When that was done I did an hour of guitar practice.  After the kids went to bed at 9 I played Rocket League for an hour and a half (10 games) then did a couple of software updates before heading up to bed at quarter to 11.  Sleep didn't come easy, but I managed a decent night's rest.

 

Today's emphasis is getting back on track--no soda, no sugar, no staying up late.